Congress gets new jets -- for $550 million

Steve

Steve

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Just to head off the inevitable....

There is a thread on this in Spin Zone that deals with the POLITICS of this topic and related stuff.

THis thread is OK to stay here as long as it avoids politics, comments about hypocrites, bashing of Congress, stuff about roasting corporates about GA, etc. Failure to heed WILL result in closing the thread.

(whew - IBTL).
 
hopefully they are buying new. that will put a few more $$$ in the payroll account so i can collect a few more weeks of paychecks.
 
From the WSJ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124960404730212955.html

The congressional shopping list goes beyond what the Air Force had initially requested as part of its annual appropriations. The Pentagon sought to buy one Gulfstream V and one business-class equivalent of a Boeing 737 to replace aging planes. The Defense Department also asked to buy two additional 737s that were being leased.



Lawmakers in the House last week added funds to buy those planes, and plus funds to buy an additional two 737s and two Gulfstream V planes.
 
Senate Democrat Vows to Fight Funding for Extra Air Force Jets

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., says a move to add hundreds of millions of dollars to the budget for jets the Air Force did not request makes "no sense" and sends the "wrong message."




http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/06/senate-democrat-vows-fight-jet-funding/

"A Senate Democrat and President Obama ally on Thursday vowed to block a move by the House to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on passenger jets that the Air Force did not request.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., voiced her opposition to the extra funding in a written statement and on Twitter, firing what could be the opening salvo in a battle over the money once the Senate returns from recess in September.
"This just makes no sense. Talk about the wrong message at the wrong time," McCaskill said in the statement. "While American families are tightening their belts there is no way we should be buying extra executive jets. No wonder so many people think we don't get it."
 
Once you have tasted flight aboard a business jet...
 
I cannot possibly think of a response of any real consequence which does not drive this thing into Spin, and I am held to a higher standard.

It is interesting to picture oneself a witness in a Senate hearing room, being challenged because he or she made the grievous error of arriving in a business jet, instead of driving or taking a commercial flight.
 
I realize this is dangerously close to SZ material, but I hope I expressed it
in a non-political manner...

Imagine you are doing up the budget for the DoD. You know Congress likes to
buy votes. You know Congress will add stuff to the budget, like airplanes, in
order to buy those votes. You simply leave those out, even if you actually want
them, because you know Congress will add them to the budget and usually not
delete stuff. Presto, you are ahead of the game.
 
dmccormack said:
If we ask if a Cash for Clunkers program can be set up to trade in old airplanes for shiny new ones -- is that SZ material?

:D
Click to expand...

While a neat idea, that wouldn't work for me very well. The only new plane available that I might want is a G58 Baron, and its useful load with full fuel doesn't fit my mission all that well since I frequently load the Aztec up to gross with dogs and land it on grass strips. If only Piper actually produced that PA-41P...

Since it wouldn't work for me, it's a bad idea. ;)

I'll refrain from all the comments that are Spin Zone fodder.
 
Dogbert had it right.

42810.strip.gif
 
Dogbert is my hero. I want him working for me.
 
I can stand the press anymore..killing the last industry we actually control. Its a buisness tool not a perk (well ok it is incidently). Its just like The TSA who lives to deal a lethal blow to GA..
 
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